


the stars shine so bright

by promise_june



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Quests, Romance, Trust, dnd-inspired i think, it's probably not as serious as the summary makes it sound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27556105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/promise_june/pseuds/promise_june
Summary: The stars will always guide lost travelers.Jaemin and Donghyuck had never felt fear, not even while facing the witch cloaked with barely restrained power — apprehension was the most the situation had conjured — but right now they wereabsolutely terrifiedof the tiny, 5’7 cloaked figure before them and the huge war hammer in his hands.Sometimes confidence comes from the most unexpected places.And what you gain, you return in spades.Life is a jagged and rocky path, so find your stars to light your way.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49
Collections: '00 FIC FEST ROUND TWO





	the stars shine so bright

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #00109
> 
> Brief explanation on character settings:  
> Jaemin = bard (uses music to activate magic, can do combat + magic), can enchant items  
> Donghyuck = sorcerer (wild magic, which means he doesn’t learn spells from grimoires), makes potions  
> Renjun = mage (mixed magics, wild magic + grimoire spells), likes using a warhammer for close combat  
> Jeno = paladin (basically like a knight with some holy magic)  
> Chenle = thief (knows some basic grimoire magic)  
> Jisung = assassin (doesn't know any magic but his stealth is off the charts when he tries)

“Why don’t you just refuse, if you’re so worried?” Jaemin asked. He sat perched on the bed, eyes tracking Donghyuck as he paced back and forth in their room. 

“I can’t do that.” Donghyuck huffed out a breath. “Offending a powerful witch is never a good idea, and she did offer a significant reward for the task.”

“Why us, specifically?”  
“I don’t know. I won’t know until she gives us the specifics.”

“So we’ll have to go see her.”

Donghyuck sighed, “Yeah, we have to.”

~~~

The closer they got to the meeting point, the stiffer Donghyuck’s shoulders got, tension rising like a wire slowly pulled taut. 

As they stepped into the entrance of a cave, located on the edges of a city, a voice rang out from the depths. 

“Welcome to my humble abode.” The witch melted into sight from the shadows. 

“We’ll get straight to the point. Here is my request, Lee Donghyuck, Na Jaemin.”

Donghyuck stiffened at his name.

“Oh yes, I know who you are, _Haechan_.” A shiver ran down Donghyuck’s spine at her light chuckle. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like being at a disadvantage. 

“Don’t worry, little sorcerer. I just need you to collect some ingredients for me.”

A scroll of paper coalesced from the shadows and floated over. 

Donghyuck scanned over the list of ingredients quickly. It wasn’t a long list, but the ingredients were…. rare, to say the least. He hadn’t even seen half the ingredients before. 

  * Dragon’s tears
  * Moonflower
  * Ashes from a phoenix’s rebirth
  * Frozen flame
  * Ice spider’s silk



He raised his head with doubts in his eyes. “Why did you ask for us, specifically?” 

“You have connections with a dragon,” the witch said, her tone making it clear that it was not a question. “Dragons don’t give tears to just anyone. After that, it was convenience and trust in your capabilities.”

Donghyuck was unimpressed. “We don’t even know where to find ice spiders or a phoenix or moonflowers. And what _is_ frozen flame? I’ve never heard of it before.”

The witch hummed. “If you accept this request of mine, I will provide you with a guide to lead you to those. As for frozen flame….” She smiled slyly as she trailed off. 

“You’ll just have to find that out yourself. Try asking that dragon of yours, won’t you?”

Jaemin and Donghyuck exchanged a look, and with his partner’s nod of acquiescence, Donghyuck made a decision. 

“Okay,” he said reservedly, “I’ll do it.”

“A good decision.” Donghyuck could hear the smile in the witch’s voice. “Your guides will find you at your inn later. My mark is on their hands.” 

~~

And then they were here. 

They had found the witch’s guides, and now they were: terrified. 

When they first saw them at the inn, the pair had an atmosphere around them that seemed to warn people to stay away. 

Of the two of them, the smaller figure was checking over his weapon as he hummed a low tune, while the paladin seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, absentmindedly flipping a dagger with a hand. 

Jaemin’s eyes caught on a dark tattoo on the cloaked smaller figure’s hand, made visible as he swung the hammer carelessly, sleeve sliding back. 

He elbowed Donghyuck. “Look at his hand, the tattoo,” he whispered. 

Donghyuck moved his attention from the paladin to the mage, his gaze focusing on his hand. 

“Yeah, holy– You’re right. It’s the witch’s mark.”

And here was where it went wrong. 

“Hey!” Donghyuck yelled. “You’re the witch’s, right? Her, umm—”

The boy turned sharply and snapped, “We’re not the witch’s _anything_.” 

He stalked forward as his companion stepped back to the wall casually. 

Jaemin nearly fell on his ass with surprise when the boy, clearly incensed by their careless words, shoved a war hammer in front of his face, weapon materializing from the empty air. 

(So the thing was: Jaemin and Donghyuck were used to getting into trouble, whether it was courtesy of a mishap from one of Donghyuck’s spells or Jaemin’s enchanted lute. They were a good pair, both a little reckless and unhesitant to experiment with their skills, so it was only natural that they caused some chaos at times. 

And among all those sticky situations they’d gotten involved in, they hadn’t really felt fear. 

Not the time Donghyuck had messed up his fireball spell so badly that he could only speak in pink bubbles for a solid minute, while Jaemin ended up getting chased in circles by the cute but murderous horned rabbits. No, at that time, Donghyuck had been laughing so hard he produced an endless stream of bubbles which absolutely covered a 3-foot radius around him to the point where you could barely see his figure through the bubbles. 

For that, Jaemin had been sure to get his petty revenge a couple of weeks later, abandoning Donghyuck to a pile of relatively harmless but very overenthusiastic slimes in the forest. 

Jaemin had been laughing so hard that he nearly fell off the tree he was perched on. Donghyuck had mostly been frustrated and made sure to zap Jaemin a little after he got away from the sticky slimes. It did take them another hour to figure out how to get off the tree since they were surrounded by a horde of minor monsters as a result of all their clamor. 

And they hadn’t felt fear, not even the time Jaemin’s hands had slipped while he was playing his lute in a tavern and he messed up the enchantments, accidentally mocking the adventurers over at the next table, pulling their rage. 

Although that time they had nearly gotten pummeled to death, they hadn’t really been afraid, emotions riled too high on booze to feel more than exhilaration as they escaped, magic singing through their veins as they ran.)

The main point was: Jaemin and Donghyuck had never felt fear, not even while facing the witch cloaked with barely restrained power — apprehension was the most the situation had conjured — but right now they were _absolutely terrified_ of the tiny, 5’7 cloaked figure before them and the huge war hammer in his hands.

  
  


No matter how they got into this situation, Jaemin and Donghyuck were now both frozen in fear, their feet glued to the floor, eyes unable to move from the tiny, 5’7 cloaked figure standing before them. 

His hood had fallen back to reveal stunning features and bright silver hair. Jaemin would think — still thought — he was beautiful if it weren’t for the fact that his eyes seemed to be threatening murder. 

Oh, no, he really was verbally threatening murder as he stepped towards them.

The boy appeared proficient with his war hammer, swinging it around effortlessly, but Donghyuck could feel magic coming off him in waves. 

He was clearly a mage of some sort, with quite a bit of power too. 

Donghyuck gulped nervously as his gaze strayed to behind the mage. 

The tiny mage and his huge war hammer was scary, but on top of that, there was also the expressionless paladin leaning against the wall behind the small figure. 

He seemed to be examining his broadsword _very_ closely, handling the weapon one-handedly with ease, and Donghyuck could see the light glinting off the _extremely_ sharp edges. (So Donghyuck was scared of the buff paladin, sue him.)

His back was cold with sweat, the linen of his shirt soaked through. 

“We- we’re-” Donghyuck found his words stuck in his throat like a lump he couldn’t swallow past. 

Jaemin and Donghyuck both resisted the urge to back away and run the hell out of the bar. 

Jaemin was desperately looking for an opening to escape or a weakness in their opponent, when he connected the inexplicable familiarity he felt to the paladin’s face. 

“Jeno?” Jaemin’s eyes widened in surprise. “It’s you?”

Unexpectedly, with those words, the mage stopped in his tracks. The paladin behind him finally looked up at the call of his name, surprise clear on his face as he recognized the other pair. 

After the shock cleared from his face, Jeno stepped forward until he was level with the mage. He bent slightly to speak into the mage’s ear. As he listened, a complex emotion flashed through his eyes, until he finally sighed. 

The mage lowered his war hammer, and with a snort, he used a flick of his wrist to vanish it into the air again. 

Donghyuck spoke with shock. “I didn’t think we’d ever see you again.”

Jeno smiled warmly. “I left the Church’s service. I found something more important to me.”

He frowned briefly before continuing. “You mentioned the witch? You’re not the type to be insulting us, so… I see, so this is the task she’s given.”

"We were told that you'd be our guides to find some ingredients for the witch." Jaemin handed Jeno a brief letter given to them by the witch.

Jeno nodded thoughtfully after reading. "Alright then."

“This is…” He looked to his side and nudged his companion, who was obviously wary. 

“Renjun.” The mage’s words were clipped, short. 

Jeno smiled at them apologetically. “We’ll be your guides for the witch.” 

~~~

For the first week of travel, each pair mostly kept to themselves, only exchanging small talk at meal times. They followed the direction pointed by Renjun’s locating spell, in the form of a small arrow that pulsed intermittently with a frequency determined by their distance to the target. 

At one point, Donghyuck’s curiosity wins over his wariness of Renjun. 

“Why are you our guides? What is the witch giving you?”

Jaemin winced. Judging by the look on Renjun’s face, he did _not_ like that question. 

Jeno placed a calming hand on Renjun’s shoulder. He smiled lightly. “We owe her a small debt, that’s all. Sorry, the witch is a bit of a sensitive subject.”

~

It was a sudden attack that changed the fragile balance between the two pairs. 

An unexpected ambush that took them by surprise. 

And in this mess where everyone was busy fending for themselves, the game changer came in the form of an enemy archer sneakily aiming at Renjun from a nearby tree. 

When Jaemin noticed it, barely warned by the twang of the bow releasing and the whistling of an arrow flying through the air, he threw himself forward to bodyslam Renjun out of the way of the incoming arrow. 

“Are you alright?” His anxious face pops up in Renjun’s vision. 

Renjun’s first impulse is to brush him off, but paused in consideration that Jaemin just saved his life, even though he was practically a stranger. 

He couldn’t understand this kindness. 

Even if he was childhood friends with Jeno, Jaemin had no reason to risk himself to save Renjun, who was only tangentially related through that tenuous link. In that split second, without time to weigh benefits or losses, Jaemin’s instinctive reaction had been to save Renjun? He felt lost and confused. 

“Come on, let’s go!” Jaemin extended a hand and pulled Renjun back up. 

Renjun quickly cleared his mind, pushing aside the problem for a later time, and returned to the battle, now fighting in tandem with Jaemin. He released his spells in conjunction with Jaemin’s attacks, coordinating with his moves. 

Donghyuck and Jeno soon noticed, and gravitated over to join them.  
With the four of them working together, the battle was easily finished, and their attackers were quickly trapped and captured. 

“Now what do we do with them...” They all looked at the attackers lying on the floor, knocked out and bound by Donghyuck’s spells. 

  
Renjun perked up. “We teach them a lesson!” His war hammer materialized from the air as he smiled cheerfully. 

  
“Renjun, no!” Jeno lunged forward to hold Renjun back. 

  
Under his breath, Donghyuck muttered, “Renjun yes.” Jeno frowned at him. 

  
“Really no?” Renjun pursed his lips, eyeing their prisoners woefully. “Not even just a little bit?”

  
“No, not like this.”

“They nearly killed you, Jeno.” Renjun’s bright smile was still pasted on his face, but his eyes were heavy with shadows. Jaemin sensed there was a lot more to the story than he had suspected. Apparently they had a past with whoever these people were.

Jeno held Renjun’s hand, clasped over the handle of his hammer, and gently talked him down from his quiet fury. 

They eventually managed to agree on a manner of disposal that they were both satisfied with, and if Renjun was a little more enthusiastic than the usual person, no one commented on it. It was fine just knowing that they’d never see these enemies again. 

~~~

After that incident, the dynamic in the group changed, going beyond the awkward balance that had been present before. 

Renjun was reserved with his trust, but now that they had earned it, he was willing to befriend the other two wholeheartedly. 

With enough time, Renjun was able to warm up to the other pair. It was hard to resist Jaemin’s bright welcome, and Donghyuck and Renjun soon found that their personalities clicked very well. Renjun could easily handle his snarky remarks, throwing them back with deadpan sarcasm.

They bonded quickly, the sorcerer and mage exchanging notes on spells and conjuring up new ideas with their magic.

Jaemin thought it was a little terrifying, since Renjun seemed to enable Donghyuck’s tendency to experiment with spells, trying to make them stronger or altering the components. 

Donghyuck’s wild magic tended to run a little messy at the edges, which was what tended to get them into dilemmas, and with Renjun’s textbook magic boosting his spells, the consequences tended to get a little (more) catastrophic. 

  
  


As a group, the four of them fit together with surprising ease, both Jeno and Renjun as bold and adventurous as Jaemin and Donghyuck when it came down to it. 

Jeno and Jaemin would often train together, going out on runs or sparring with hand-to-hand combat. 

They matched up very well, their strengths complementing one another. 

Jaemin was very fast and agile, and knew how to time his moves, adjusting his strength and power as needed. 

Jeno had a lot of brute strength, with the advantage of proper training, but Jaemin’s speed and ease of movement was hard to keep up with. He did have an edge over Jaemin with practiced arts such as swordsmanship though. 

They traveled together neither quietly nor noisily, a warm camaraderie settling into the group and habits slowly intertwining between the four. They became close enough to share smaller things, trading food preferences and minor quirks. 

Not all tastes and habits could be shared well, though. 

At one point, Jeno took a sip of Jaemin’s favored drink, curious about the taste of the concoction that Jaemin always drank. As the flavor spread over his tongue, he recoiled sharply, his face turning pale as he choked, spitting out the drink. “What is _that_?” His face was twisted in disgust. 

Donghyuck laughed at Jeno, bright clear laughter drifting through the clearing. He was clear as to the taste of the energy potion, being the one who made them for Jaemin. Renjun was laughing uncontrollably by his side. 

~~~

After a month of travel, they finally reached the location of the first task.

It was hidden deep in the forest, far from human settlements. Only here would the monster they seeked be able to freely spin its home, creating webs that stretched from tree to tree, high up in the air where prey could not escape. The silvery threads were lined with crystallized magic, freezing everything that touched the sticky strands of the web. Anything that even brushed past it would be entangled both physically and magically.

Almost everyone who was taken by the giant ice spiders could only mourn their fate, and pray for a better afterlife.

For their purposes — taking the ice silk —, they were fortunate that the ice spiders tended to move solitarily, being very territorial over their hunting areas.

The night before, they gathered quietly around the fire to plan. 

Renjun offered his spell boosts for physical enhancements while Donghyuck and Jaemin explained their own spells and enchantments. 

With their abilities sorted out, they were able to quickly formulate a plan for collecting the ice silk, deciding to split into pairs for distraction and collection. 

Renjun concluded, "Okay, so Jeno and I will distract the spider while you two go to retrieve the silk."

After their discussion of the basic division of responsibilities in the retrieval, they worked to finalize the details of the task. 

Jeno hummed quietly, then pulled a few scrolls from his bag. With a serious look on his face, he passed one to each of the group members. "Rip this if you're in danger, it'll bring you to a safe spot I marked, where we camped yesterday."

Donghyuck was in awe. "Are these, teleportation scrolls? Seriously?" He whistled.

"I would sell my soul for these. Are you sure you don't mind giving it to us? The price of these..."

"It's fine. They're just inferior versions I've made, and we need you to finish your task in order for us to be able to repay our debt to the witch."

Surprised, Jaemin blinked silently. 

He recalled that the market price of teleportation scrolls were close to the worth of some cities. Only found within hidden tombs, the ancient runes were beyond the capabilities of most people to analyze. 

It was a language that scholars could spend their lives studying and still barely understand a fraction.

After a thought, Jeno added in, “When you’re done collecting the ice silk, just use it to meet up again. It’s safest anyway.”

Silent with amazement, Donghyuck and Jaemin just nodded in agreement. 

To finish their plan, they decided to use Jaemin’s lute as a sign to regather, and they all familiarized themselves with the specific tune to be used. 

  
  


The next day, they walked further into the forest, stepping carefully to try and reduce the noise made as they approached the ice spider's abode. Renjun's locating spell arrow glowed and pulsed with more strength as they drew closer to the monster.

With stealth spells shielding Jaemin and Donghyuck's presence, only Jeno and Renjun's footsteps could be heard, the sound of leaves crunched underfoot loud in the silent forest.

When the foliage around them rustled and the giant spider appeared, they all froze for a moment.

Then Renjun shot a bolt of lightning at the spider. 

It was relatively ineffective, unable to damage the strong shell of ice encasing its abdomen, but it was more than enough to grab the monster's attention.

He quickly cast speed boosts on everyone in the party, and grabbed Jeno by his arm, sprinting away from the web that loomed above them.

The spider roared, a horrible noise that crashed and clashed to hurt their ears, and scuttled after the pair.

Donghyuck and Jaemin, hidden behind the trees, prepared to climb up to the web. 

After a thought, Donghyuck casted a lightening spell on them, which greatly reduced their weight. 

Realizing his idea, Jaemin pulled out his lute and a muted tune created a bubble around them, floating them up to the web suspended high up, hidden among the crowns of the trees. 

When they finally reached the height of the web, they were careful not to touch the web, making sure to only step on branches free from silvery threads on the edge of the huge structure.

Jaemin shivered a bit from the cold air emanating from the huge web. 

At this point, it was up to Donghyuck to collect the strands, being more familiar with volatile ingredients. Jaemin was there to keep watch on their surroundings and provide a helping hand to his partner as needed. 

Donghyuck was quick with his work, pulling away strands of ice silk and spooling it into a roll. 

When he had deemed that a sufficient amount had been taken, he placed it into a flask made specially for magic isolation, putting it away safely in his bag. 

Then, he took a deep breath and released the stealth charm spelled over the two of them. 

At Donghyuck’s cue, Jaemin took out his lute and played the agreed-upon melody to signal the other two of their success. 

They tore the scrolls and as they appeared at their previous camping spot, Jaemin breathed out a sigh of relief. The tension leaked out of him as he caught sight of the other three appearing as well; with a quick scan over the other pair, he made sure that they were alright. 

The other two were breathing heavily, Jeno supporting Renjun as the magic depletion seemed to hit him once he relaxed. 

Donghyuck rushed to pass some healing potions to them. Jaemin frowned as he noted a couple of minor injuries on Jeno. Even if they planned well, there was always a risk that something could go wrong.

With that thought in mind, Jaemin quickly ushered them all to leave the forest. 

~~~

After this incident, they figured out they needed more members in their party for offense. 

While Jaemin and Renjun were great fighters at close combat, it wasn’t the same as having actual melee combat professions like rogues. 

  
And of course, when they decided to do things, they had to do things to extremes (because it would be boring if things went exactly as planned). 

So, naturally they end up adding not one, but two rogues. 

  
Somehow, somewhere along the line, they pick up Chenle and Jisung. 

  
Jisung was a younger kid who Donghyuck and Jaemin had grown familiar with in recent years, and Chenle was acquainted with Renjun from similar social circles in the past. 

So when the four of them meet the two younger kids, traveling together and expressing an interest in their quest, they end up bringing them into the party. 

Jaemin had automatically decided to adopt them into their party. “Look how cute they are! And you guys said we need another offensive fighter anyway!” He pinched Jisung’s cheek as he cooed over the younger boy. 

~  
Contrary to initial expectations, with the two rogues with them, the number of their near-death experiences actually exponentially increased. 

While Jisung was an incredible assassin, outside of fights he was unexpectedly clumsy at times, and would occasionally cause problems by accident. He would break things by accident, and came close to injuring himself far too many times. 

Honestly, he had a talent for disruption. 

And Chenle, after he grew comfortable with them, would happily create chaos on purpose. 

When added to the mess that was already Donghyuck and Jaemin — now along with Jeno and Renjun, to a lesser extent —, it was just a matter of time before they stirred things up. 

~~~

A couple of months after they started traveling together, they — as in, Donghyuck and Jaemin — learned that Jeno and Renjun were more than just traveling partners. 

When Chenle first brought up the topic of relationships with Donghyuck and Jaemin, wondering how they’d started dating, both of them had gone speechless, eyes wide with confusion and shock. 

“Dating? Us?” Jaemin pointed at Donghyuck and then himself, perplexed. 

Jisung piped up from his seat next to Chenle. “Aren’t you? You always introduce yourself as partners.”

Donghyuck sputtered. “But— But Jeno and Renjun call themselves partners too? And they’re not dating either.” He gestured to where the two boys sat next to each other, quietly engrossed in their own conversation, a short distance away from them. 

  
Chenle gave Donghyuck a weird look and raised an eyebrow. “Uh, they are though?”

It was Jaemin’s turn to go speechless as he choked on his drink. “ _*cough* *cough*_ They _are_ — They’re— What?”

Jisung turned to look at Jaemin and Donghyuck with an incredulous expression. “You can’t seriously be telling me you never noticed.”

~

And perhaps it was true they had been a little oblivious. 

Although it wasn’t like they didn’t touch at all in front of them, they weren’t _obvious_ in their touches (it was subtle), so Jaemin and Donghyuck who were used to being free with their affection didn’t quite realize that there was something _more_ at first. 

_Sure_ , the two of them always roomed together but that must be normal since they were used to each other’s habits already— having traveled together for months— and were both light sleepers. 

And _yeah_ , they always shared a bed in inns, but Donghyuck just assumed that they took the one bed since it was cheaper, since he and Jaemin were also used to sharing a bed to save on the expense, preferring to spend the money on food instead. 

Wasn’t it normal to huddle together when sleeping outdoors too? 

…Okay so _maybe_ Jaemin and Donghyuck should’ve noticed a little. 

Renjun seemed less used to casual touches, and he still stiffened a little in surprise sometimes when Jaemin or Donghyuck hugged him or touched him suddenly. 

But he never tensed up even when Jeno would hug him from behind and lift him up suddenly, clearly used to it, even if Renjun would still shake him off quickly. 

He never seemed to mind when Jeno would sit close next to him, instead appearing to take it as an anchoring touch. 

There was a difference in their quiet accompaniment of each other. 

They didn’t speak as much as they did with the others, but when by themselves, there was something about their peacefully silent coexistence that was so different from the way they treated anyone else. 

It was in the soft way Jeno would tuck Renjun’s hair behind his ear, and the peaceful afternoons where they relaxed together, Jeno’s head on Renjun’s lap as the mage gently carded his fingers through the other boy’s black hair. 

It was in the way Renjun would subconsciously look to Jeno when he needed help or felt a little lost, assured in the fact that he would be there to back him up. 

It was in the way the tension only ever completely left Renjun’s frame when Jeno was near, and he could only relax then, could sleep without caution of the slightest movement. 

It was in the way that Renjun would give in to Jeno’s requests with a resigned sigh no matter the time whenever the paladin turned his puppy eyes on him. 

It was in the way that Renjun was ready to fight anyone who insulted Jeno, who provoked him needlessly — the paladin would rarely retaliate when it came to himself, citing a need for peace, although clearly his principles went out the window when Renjun was involved, as Jeno would fire up in anger quickly then. 

Their relationship was like the comfort of a lullaby, quiet and steady. It was the feeling of a warm breeze, presence faded in the background but so clearly _there_ after you notice it. 

~

Jaemin thought that the kids were a little too perceptive sometimes.  
Chenle watched Jaemin with an evaluating gaze as he cleaned up the table. “Are you really fine staying like this, hyung?”

  
A short distance away, Jisung looked at Donghyuck with a quiet knowing in his eyes. “You’ve never wanted it to be more? I think you know more than you’re letting on.”

~

Chenle’s comments echoed in Jaemin’s head from time to time. _Are you really fine staying like this, hyung?_

As he watched, Donghyuck turned to catch his gaze, smiling brightly, and that odd feeling he had pushed aside so many times before bubbled up again. 

Jaemin found himself watching Donghyuck more and more often, focusing on his bright eyes, the way his face lit up when he was excited, the glow of his hair in the setting sun. 

For a brief moment, he lets himself wonder, if they could really have something more. 

His thoughts turned, and Jaemin shook his head. He knew the limits of what Donghyuck wanted. He wouldn’t push it. 

  
  


Donghyuck was able to light up any room, strike up conversation with any stranger and raise the mood in any crowd. 

Well-liked and well-connected, he and Jaemin were welcomed wherever they went. 

It was an interesting experience for Renjun, to see that wherever they went, the pair always knew someone. 

Haechan the underground trader, on the other hand, had a reputation for being dangerous. 

He had the strength necessary to be able to name the price for his much coveted potions according to his whims. No one would dare to double-cross Haechan, unless they had a death wish. 

He rarely worked alone, and the appearances of both Haechan and his companion were highly debated in hushed whispers in the corners of taverns, with descriptions varying from vague statements like “fuck they’re terrifying” to specific but contentious details like “kinda tall, buff” “no he was tall and skinny” “tall??? he was average height, though?”. 

Donghyuck didn’t bother concealing his second identity to Jeno and Renjun. But neither one particularly bothered to talk about it, apart from Renjun’s interest in his potions. 

  
  


One day, while Jaemin and Renjun took the youngest two to explore the market when they were stopped in a minor city to rest, Donghyuck pulled Jeno out with him in the late afternoon. 

They walked until they were on the edge of the city, then stopped in a hidden alcove not far from the city walls. 

Donghyuck took a few flasks filled with brightly colored liquids out of his spelled space. 

He shook them lightly, checking them over briefly with his magic, then handed them to Jeno to hold while he prepared concealment spells for their faces. 

“You’re selling some real volatile potions.” Jeno observed casually. 

Donghyuck shrugged. “You gotta do what you gotta do to survive.”

“Some of these look illegal.” Jeno examined the potion flasks carefully, lifting them and sniffing at each one to try and determine the potion type and grade. 

“Well, it’s not a crime if you’re not caught,” he smirked. 

“You’re not worried that your customers will sell you out?”

Donghyuck smiled brightly. “They wouldn’t dare to cross me.”

Jeno shook his head slowly, marveling at his friend’s confidence. Well, Donghyuck had always been fairly cautious under all his bravado, so if he said he was sure, it would probably be fine. 

  
“So, why am I here?” Jeno was puzzled about the necessity of his presence. 

  
Donghyuck pointed to his side. “Just stand there and look scary.”

  
Jeno raised an eyebrow.

  
“You know, like when we first met and you were absolutely terrifying while you threatened to murder Jaemin and me.” 

  
Jeno appeared slightly offended, “Threatened? I didn’t even say anything? Renjun can handle himself perfectly fine.”

  
Donghyuck waved his hand in a vague gesture, “Right, yes, you didn’t say anything but your face was all like this.” He scrunched his eyebrows together into a menacing expression, or at least, it would be if it didn’t look ridiculous as he exaggerated the expression, scrunching up his nose to the point where his eyes were nearly closed. 

  
“ _Anyway_ , the point is that you’re here to put all your muscle to use for once!” Donghyuck reached out to squeeze his bicep, sighing reluctantly with some envy. 

  
Jeno raised an eyebrow, then smiled dangerously and grabbed Donghyuck’s hand. 

  
Donghyuck crumpled to the ground as the paladin increased the strength of his grip “OW, okay! Sorry! I was joking.” 

The sorcerer scowled as he patted the dust off his clothes. 

  
“Fine, you just stand over there and look pretty. Be scary. Do that expressionless thing where you look like you’ll kill anyone that remotely annoys you.”

  
After a short scuffle, Jeno wondered out loud, “So I’m your… temporary bodyguard?”

  
Donghyuck shrugged dismissively. “I’d honestly be fine on my own but Jaemin worries and it doesn’t hurt to have a buff paladin backing me up so people don’t even try to start shit.”

Jeno hummed, slid a glance towards him. “Speaking of Jaemin…”

Donghyuck stiffened for the barest moment, then carefully replied with a relaxed tone, “What about Jaemin?”

“You can’t tell me you haven’t realized. You’re perceptive.”

Donghyuck pursed his lips, carefully considering his answer. “Jaemin wears masks upon masks. You won’t ever know what he really thinks.”

“You wear a mask too, we all do sometimes. But to you, he’s his truest self, as he’s always been. ”

“And I’m scared of that, okay? That one day my mask will sink into my skin and I won’t recognize myself anymore. Honestly, I’m not sure if I recognize myself now sometimes.”

Donghyuck bit his lip, seeming to think about his next words, then continued to say: “I’m scared that one day I’ll look at him and I won’t recognize him anymore. Even more than that, I’m scared that if we try to change, to become something more, one day, he’ll look at me and realize I’m not worth it, and he’ll leave me.”

The paladin looked at him seriously and said, “Is that what you believe? You need to talk to him. You’ve been dancing around each other pointlessly.”

Donghyuck’s voice dropped to a whisper, the words almost forced through his teeth. “I don’t want to risk the slightest possibility of _losing_ him, Jeno.”

Jeno turned quiet, seeming to digest Donghyuck’s words carefully. After a long pause, he spoke with a hint of surprise. “You’ve changed a lot.”

“It’s been a long time, Jeno. We’ve all changed. It’s no longer that carefree time when we could just play and do whatever we wanted. The world’s not such a beautiful place.”

“Renjun told me to let you guys figure it out in your own time, but you’ll never get anywhere like this.”

“Speaking of Renjun,” Donghyuck said, grabbing at the opening in his words to turn the tables on his friend. “You’re together, but it sure looks like you’re walking on thin ice around each other sometimes.”

Jeno smiled harmlessly, didn’t say anything. After a short time, Donghyuck gave up on his one-sided staring competition, looking away with a sigh. Jeno would never leak anything if he didn’t want to say it. 

A brief silence later, Jeno broke the ice with a short question. “So, ‘Haechan’?”

“Haechan is my alias, of course,” Donghyuck scoffed. “Wouldn’t want anyone to track me down if I didn’t want them to, you know how it is.”

Jeno sighed softly. “Yeah, I do.” (He wished he didn’t.)

And that was the end of their conversation, the words a tacit agreement that the previous subject was done with. Neither one wanted to dig deeper than that, enough wounds had been torn open already.

The customer arrived soon after, led by a paper crane Jeno recognized as Jaemin’s enchanted handiwork, and the pair dealt with Haechan’s business quickly. They traded the potions for useful ingredients and some gold, then returned to their inn with both boys in contemplative silence. 

~~~

Jaemin didn’t want to go near a volcano ever again in his life. 

The task to collect a phoenix’s ashes had started off well enough, but quickly devolved into chaos. 

The job had appeared simple enough at first glance: the phoenix had already regenerated and left, and its ashes were free for the taking, if anyone could reach it. 

Renjun’s tracking spell had led them to this volcano, and a quick inspection revealed a rudimentary set of wards placed over a small nook tucked into the side of the volcano. 

So all they had to do was disable the wards briefly to let in one of them, jump in to collect some of the ashes remaining, and leave before the wards kicked in again. 

What had gone wrong? 

Well, for one, they had miscalculated the pure amount of magic placed into the wards. (They really should have known. It may have been basic warding, but it was still basic warding by a _phoenix_.)

So the wards had snapped back earlier than expected, and Jaemin was stuck _under_ them, _inside_ the volcano. 

And now, Jaemin was suspended 200 feet in the air above red-hot magma, wondering why he ever decided to go along with this plan. He should’ve offered up Donghyuck as an option instead. 

Jaemin sighed and sat back, swinging his legs idly as they dangled from the ledge he sat on. 

  
He wasn’t even sure why it was him and not one of their actual agility-based members, like Chenle or Jisung up here. (He did know, Jisung was too scared of the lava _and_ height (maybe he could’ve dealt with one or the other, pushed past his fear, but both was _far_ too much for him) and Chenle was the one scaling up the cliff on the other side to deal with the magical wards anchored there. Jaemin was the most reasonable choice from there, being the fastest of the other four and having his bubble enchantments.)

A flaming blob of lava flew inches past his face. Jaemin didn’t even flinch, already used to the occurrence, it having been the fifth such blob in the last ten minutes. 

He sighed again. He hoped Chenle would unlock the wards soon. He could feel his hair getting crispier.

  
  


(They do manage to get Jaemin out not long after, with only minimal hair crispiness.)

~~~

Their next stop on the list of ingredients was a familiar one. 

To get the dragon's tears, they planned to visit an old friend from childhood days. 

Standing in front of a huge mountain, the group of six stood silently.  
“What now?” Chenle wondered. 

“Let me give it a try,” Donghyuck said. 

He strode forward casually, until he was right at the entrance to the cavern. 

“Hey! Mark! Marcus! Marcus Lee!”

“Markathew Lee!” 

“Maracas Leeeee!”

Jaemin just sighed while he watched Donghyuck rattle off increasingly ridiculous variations of the name. 

Finally, with a quiet groan, a young man who looked barely older than the group walked out. His messy hair suggested that a nap had been interrupted. 

“Mark-hyung!” Donghyuck greeted him enthusiastically, Jaemin also leaping forward to hug and pour affection on the dragon that had taken care of them since their childhood days. Jaemin thought that Mark could be considered a childhood friend too, not being much older than them. 

Jisung was a little more reserved, but he still went up to give a hug with happiness clear on his face. 

Chenle and Renjun were surprised by how casually the others treated Mark. They were clearly close to the dragon, but the way they looked at him was like family. 

“I miss Kun-ge,” Chenle said quietly. Renjun nodded silently in agreement, his eyes focused on the ground. 

The dragon who lived close to their home was a revered being for their country, but he had looked after them like an older brother whenever they visited his lair as kids. They looked up to him, and it was hard for them, being unable to return to find him now. 

Mark appeared a little surprised when he noticed the other figures standing back. 

“Hey, Jeno. It’s been a long time.” Mark greeted Jeno with a brief nod. 

Jeno grinned and waved back cheerfully, moving forward to hug the dragon. 

  
  


Mark was quickly introduced to Renjun and Chenle, and their task explained to him. 

He scanned through the list handed to him. “Hmmm, dragon’s tears? Sure, I can give you some, I guess. It’s not particularly powerful, so it shouldn’t be much of a risk.”

“Moonflowers… harmless enough, just bothersome to find.”

“Phoenix ashes?” Mark raised an eyebrow. 

“We got that already. It was surprisingly easy.”

“Says the one that wasn’t dangling over lava,” Jaemin grumbled. 

Mark appeared surprised. Donghyuck glanced at Renjun, and at his acquising nod, replied to Mark, “Renjunie’s got a locating spell.”

Mark nodded thoughtfully. “Ah, yes, that would simplify things a lot.” He eyed Renjun curiously. Locating spells that worked without a piece of the targeted thing were rare, usually kept hidden among families with deep magical heritage. 

Renjun shifted nervously under his scrutiny. 

Jeno caught Mark’s eye and shook his head minutely, arm reaching out to pull Renjun into a comforting hold around his shoulders. Mark blinked understandingly and looked back to the list in his hands. 

A peculiar look appeared on Mark’s face as he noticed the next item. “Frozen flame? I didn’t think anyone knew about it. It’s quite an odd ingredient.” He glanced up to realize that they were all focused on him quite intently. 

“Mark-hyung. The witch said you’d know what to do for it.” Donghyuck’s voice contained a hint of pleading. 

  
Faced with Jaemin and Donghyuck’s sparkling eyes filled with expectation, Mark was quick to give in to the unspoken request. He sighed, and turned back into the depths of his dwelling. “Give me a moment.”

Mark rummaged through his drawers for a bit. 

After some searching, he finally retrieved a flask from a locked box. With a snap of his fingers, a small blue flame appeared suspended in the flask. 

Jaemin stared at the flame, fascinated by the strange depths of the flame as it flickered. As he looked, the flame seemed to pull him in, various images flashing through his mind as his surroundings faded away. He saw visions of plains covered in ice and snow, and fields consumed by fires that left ice in its wake even as it burned through everything in its path. 

“Jaemin!” Donghyuck shook his shoulder, snapping him back to awareness. 

“Uh, yeah, don’t look too closely at it.” Mark’s voice turned serious. “Take this flame, and go to the North, where the snow is. There’s a place of eternal snow and ice. Do you know it?”

After receiving a nod from Jeno, Mark continued and said, “Uncork this only when you reach there, and expose it to the snow until it freezes over.”

Donghyuck took the small flask nervously. Jisung peered curiously at the small flame trapped in it. 

Mark glanced at the list, saying the last item with a questioning tone. “Ice spider’s silk?”  
  


“The first thing we got. Wasn’t a problem,” Jaemin reassured Mark. 

Mark nodded in acknowledgment and passed the list back to Donghyuck. With that, he clapped his hands together, flashed a smile, and asked, “So, dinner?”

“I want chicken!” Chenle preempted with a yell. 

~

Dinner was a messy but warm affair, conversations criss-crossing everywhere and food passing from hand to hand chaotically. 

Sometimes a conversation topic would pull them all together but they would soon split apart in smaller groups as they diverged into other subjects. 

Jaemin nagged the others to keep healthy habits, more often focusing on the youngest two.  
“Jisung-ah you can’t keep having so much fizzy water, it’s not good for you.”  
“Jaemin-hyung. You’re really not one to talk about healthy eating habits, with your energy potions.” Jisung was quick to counter. 

“Your drinks are both disgusting,” Chenle commented around a mouthful of chicken. “Jisung your drink is just angry water and Jaemin-hyung’s drink is practically poisonous.”

As both boys turned to him with affronted expressions, Chenle just laughed. 

Jisung frowned disgustedly at seeing the half-chewed food in his mouth. “Close your mouth and finish eating before you talk, Lele.”

Jaemin glared at Chenle and just rubbed the younger boy’s head strongly, messing up his hair, before returning to his argument with Jisung. 

~~~

After supper, they debated how to collect Mark’s tears. 

Donghyuck suggested holding him down and tickling him until tears came out. 

Mark was horrified to find the members of the party seriously considering the option and eyeing him with a sparkle in their eyes. Even Chenle had a mischievous grin on his face as he tilted his head in consideration. 

“No, no, no, that won’t work. That’s not the right kind of tears.” Mark hurriedly rejected the plan. 

The others, dejected, could only gather their heads together again to discuss other options. Despite coming up with many ideas, none of them seemed feasible, without the capability to make Mark really cry. 

Suddenly, Renjun said,“I know a special method to retrieve the tears.” His proactive stance was an unexpected change to his unusually somber and quiet mood throughout the entire day. 

Renjun followed Mark quietly to a separate area hidden from the others. 

He set up a simple privacy ward, then lifted his head to look directly at the dragon. “Tears… and they can’t be happy ones, right?” 

“A story that will bring you to tears. I have one.” Renjun spoke quietly. “I’ll trust you with it.”

He turned away to the side, no longer facing Mark as he began his story. 

“It doesn’t have a happy beginning. This is not a story that began with a change of ‘one day’, but a story that was years in the making, built upon decades of pain and suffering. A boy born with anything he could want, yet destined to lose everything he loved.”

He told a story of a boy who lost his home to war (a war that had been brewing for decades, tension building until it exploded, no longer able to be contained), and constantly ran from those who wished him dead. 

One day, the boy was saved by a passing… person. 

That person was injured in the process, and so the boy stayed to take care of him.

Over time, they grew closer, warmth melting the walls of ice that had frozen around the boy’s heart, built to hold together the broken pieces. 

It was the happiest time for the boy, as he slowly learned to trust again, to this person that was so warm, so _good_ somehow, despite the hand that this cruel and cold world had dealt him. He thought it would be nice to settle quietly there, with this person. He felt that maybe it would be fine to forget his past, and allow such peaceful days to continue forever. 

Until the boy was found again by his enemies, and that person sacrificed himself to save him. The boy was in despair. The most important person to him now was dying. There wasn’t anything he could do. And it was all his fault. 

“How is it? Wasn’t it pathetic? Wasn’t it so stupid, for him to believe that he could just abandon his past so easily?” Renjun’s voice contained a hint of anger, sadness leaking through his words. 

Mark stared silently, tears quietly slipping down his cheeks. He seemed to realize that this may be Renjun’s own story. 

“Hey, collect that quickly, won’t you?” Renjun smiled awkwardly, a little lopsidedly.

Mark fumbled to get his prepared flask, awkwardly tilting his head to drop the tears in. 

Renjun laughed softly as he rubbed at the tip of his nose with a hand. “Don’t worry. It’s a happy ending. Jeno’s here, after all.” His eyes shined with unshed tears as his smile softened into something more real. “Oops, that’s a spoiler.”

“It was the happiest ending it could be. Because the boy remembered a lifeline given to him by a dragon, and traded a debt to a witch. And so his “person” was saved.”

“A debt.” Mark glanced down to Renjun’s wrist, where the lotus mark sat innocuously. “A _vow_.” His face contained a mix of shock and realization. 

“Yes, a vow. But it was worth it, for Jeno to live.”

~~~

(Renjun had spoken about it only once before, to Chenle. He had no choice, for the younger boy had easily recognized the magic that surrounded the tattoo on his hand. 

Chenle’s face paled, and he grabbed Renjun’s arm. “You— Are you serious? You gave a vow?”

“I had no choice,” he replied quietly. 

“There had to be a better way! A _vow_?” Chenle seemed almost distraught. “You could die, if the witch had demanded it of you! Death isn’t even the worst of the possibilities!”

Renjun’s eyes flashed with anger and frustration. “He was _dying_ , Lele. I wasn’t going to let him die. Not after everything he’s done for me.”

His voice lowered, still tense as he spoke. “Just one thing. I just had to owe  _ one _ request to the witch and I could save his life.”

Chenle bit his lip, struggling to pick his words carefully. “But that one request could be  _ anything _ . Death isn’t even the worst of the possibilities.”

Renjun shook his head. “Wouldn’t you do it too, if Jisung was dying?” 

He didn’t regret anything. Even if time rewinded, he wouldn’t change his choice, because Jeno was worth even his life in exchange.)

~~~

Worried about the instability of the flame, after a short stay with Mark, they hurried to the northern winterlands. 

It didn’t take long for them to freeze the magical flame, the insubstantial blue quickly crystallizing upon exposure to the natural magic of the environment. 

Donghyuck was careful not to look directly at the frozen flame when he packed it away, no matter how beautiful it appeared, as he remembered Mark’s repeated cautioning about the material before they left. 

~

Tired after the rushed journey in and out of the harsh eternal winterland, the group decided to rest for a few days in a relatively warm and safe spot on the edges of northern lands. 

They took the time to relax and work on their individual hobbies, or just playing together with one another, slowly letting go of the tension that accompanied their task. 

And it was during one of such days that Renjun broached the topic of relationships while crafting with Jaemin. 

He wondered, “Why don’t you just get together? Why waste time like this?”

Jaemin smiled gently. “He’s resistant to it. He’s scared of something,

...and I’m scared of losing him. So I won’t force it.” His deft fingers weaved together a basket as he spoke. 

Renjun remained silent for a time, then said, “You once asked what I owed the witch.”

Jaemin was a little startled by the sudden change of topic, but nodded anyway. “Yeah.”

“What I owe her, is a life. Jeno’s life, to be exact.”

Jaemin stopped crafting and stared at Renjun with shock. Eyes distantly focused on the horizon, the other boy continued talking. “Don’t waste the time you have. It’s not worth regrets when it’s too late. I came close to finding that out the hard way.”

Jaemin pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully, hands absentmindedly fiddling with his lute.

~~~

The night of a full moon. 

Chenle and Jisung stayed in their camp to keep guard, taking turns to rest. Renjun led the other three to a field of silver that glowed quietly in the moonlight. 

After they arrived, Jeno pulled Renjun away to talk, leaving Donghyuck to collect the moonflowers with Jaemin to guard. 

Donghyuck quickly gathered the moonflowers, putting them away in the usual flask with magical preservation charms. 

When he was done, he looked at Jaemin. 

He could tell that the other boy had had something brewing under the surface for days, and Donghyuck had his suspicions about what it was. He knew Renjun and Chenle had talked to Jaemin, and he had also been thinking about Jisung and Jeno’s words, wondering and considering the possibilities and the risks. 

Standing there alone in the field of silver flowers, Jaemin and Donghyuck were silent for a long time. 

Jaemin broke the silence first. “Can we try?”

Donghyuck tensed up imperceptibly, but replied with a light tone. “Try what?”

Jaemin reached out to hold Donghyuck’s hand gently. “Don’t fake ignorance. I know you too well, Donghyuck. Please, try us. Try being something more than just friends.”

“I know you better than I know myself. And I know you were scared of us becoming something more. So I held back. But I want to try. Because I believe we’re at least worth a shot.” His thumb lightly brushed slow circles across Donghyuck’s palm as he spoke, tone quiet but steady. 

Donghyuck pursed his lips, looked down at the flowers. He didn’t want to look at Jaemin’s face, it’d shake his resolve. “What if we don’t work out? I don’t want to lose you.”

Jaemin spoke earnestly, the certainty of his tone reassuring. “Even if we’re not meant to be as a couple, I won’t leave you. We are a _forever_ , even if it’s not as lovers.”

Donghyuck’s resolve crumbled. He took a deep breath, then responded, “Okay, we’ll try.”

His voice shook a little. “But you have to promise me that you won’t leave, no matter how this ends.”

Jaemin tugged him into a hug and squeezed him tightly, words muffled as he spoke into Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Of course. I’ll never leave, as long as you still want me with you.”

As he felt how tightly Jaemin wrapped his arms around him, some of Donghyuck’s anxieties faded away, and he allowed himself to trust in Jaemin’s words. 

Pulling away briefly, Jaemin looked at Donghyuck with a soft expression, 

“Can I?” He touched Donghyuck’s lips gently. 

Donghyuck didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and leaned in to close the distance. 

Jaemin’s lips were soft and his embrace warm, a contrast to the coldness of the world around them. It was like it always was, the two of them warming each other against the world. 

Maybe this would be fine, Donghyuck thought. They would try, and they would work things out. 

He would put his heart in the hands of the one person he believed above all else. 

~~~

“You should go.” Renjun stood facing away from Jeno as he talked. “It’s better to leave with them.” 

Jeno gently pulled Renjun and turned him so that they were facing each other. 

“It’s fine, you know? You found your childhood friends. You can go with them, rather than always having to stay with me.”

Jeno grasped Renjun’s wrist lightly. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Why not? Around me, you’re always going to be in danger. I can protect myself now, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I made you a promise,” Jeno said, “And I intend to keep it. Most importantly, more than anything else, I want to stay with you.”

“You didn’t have a choice then. It was so messy, no one knew—” 

Jeno interrupted with a frown. “No, I knew what I was getting into.”

Renjun looked away, distantly noting the snow that started to drift down heavily.

“You keep, you’re always sacrificing yourself to save me. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me again.” His voice was choked. “Too many times—”

“It was my choice. I told you, I want to be by your side. I’ll take it, risks and all.”

“You nearly _died_ last time!” A tear slipped down Renjun’s cheek as he faced Jeno, screamed it out. 

“And it was worth it! For you, it’s always worth it.” 

Jeno’s expression softened but his words were firm. “I chose you then. And I choose you now. No matter what, no matter when, I’ll always pick you.”

“Why?” Renjun whispered. 

“There’s nothing — no amount of treasure, no amount of honor — that would be worth it to me if you’re not here.” Jeno pulled Renjun closer, reaching up to gently swipe away the tears with his thumb. 

The stars reflected in his eyes shined so brightly, and Jeno strengthened his resolve not to lose this boy who had become his whole world. 

His unwavering will and refusal to leave must have come across, because when Renjun cautiously reached out to hug him close, Jeno knew that he had won this fight. 

  
  


Jeno hugged him back warmly, tone turning reminiscent as he looked up at the bright silver moon. “Well, isn’t this just like when we first met? A field of flowers, a moonlit night, and snow.”

Renjun smirked with a hint of self-deprecation. “And blood. Don’t forget the blood.”

“I think it’s a little better without all the blood,” Jeno said dryly, “I very much prefer to keep it in my body.”

“Me too,” Renjun replied softly. “I also prefer that your blood stays in your body.”

Jeno laughed quietly, and placed a brief kiss on Renjun’s cheek. 

~~~

Finally, after several long months of traveling, they returned to the point when it all started. 

Stepping into the cave, they all felt apprehensive. Donghyuck pulled out the various flasks containing the ingredients, as he awaited the witch. 

They didn’t have to wait long. 

“You’ve done well.” The witch once again appeared, seeming to melt out of the shadows. “With some unexpected additions, I see, but it was well accomplished. Your reward will be increased accordingly.” 

“First,” Chenle said firmly, “Renjun’s vow.”

The witch laughed quietly. “How fierce, little one. But no matter, I uphold my deals.” 

She raised a hand and made a beckoning gesture, as if pulling the magic from the tattoo towards herself. “I declare our vow fulfilled.” 

As they watched, the lotus mark faded from Renjun’s wrist.  
“It’s done.” Jeno’s voice was full of relief. 

After that, it was a simple process to complete the trade, their quest finished. With the ingredients exchanged and the hefty reward received, they soon left the cave. 

They never did find out what the witch wanted the ingredients for, but none of them really cared. It was good enough that Donghyuck and Jaemin’s trade with the witch was done with their rewards taken, and that Renjun’s vow to the witch was fulfilled, no longer chaining him. 

Tension finally left their bodies. The long task request had weighed on all of them, but they were finally free to return to their lives, free from obligations. 

Maybe they would continue to travel together, or perhaps they may separate back into their original pairs. But for now, it was good enough to revel in their freedom. 

It was destiny, how the stars lit their path to bring them together. The quest had changed all of their lives, and it was time to walk forward once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it
> 
> Kudos and comments would be very much appreciated <3


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